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Charles Barkley Once Dropped Truth Bombs as Michael Jordan Heard in Silence: “If I Had Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen, I Would Have Won Some Too”

Published 01/02/2022, 10:00 AM EST

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Charles Barkley was one of the few NBA players who really stood up to Michael Jordan and his bullying on the court. He’s the one player who beat Michael Jordan in the race for the regular-season MVP in the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty run. Barkley was indeed a threat to him. Michael even admitted in “The Last Dance” that he took offense to the fact that Barkley won the MVP award in 1993.

However, he got back at him in his own way by winning the NBA championship the same year. This back and forth between these legends have to date become a crucial dynamic in their relationship. When Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley appeared on Oprah Winfrey, this dynamic was still visible between them. Jordan was still taking digs at Barkley for stealing his MVP Award. Simultaneously, Barkley still let him hear it for forming an unbeatable super team with Pippen and Rodman.

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When Barkley took shots at Michael Jordan for teaming up with Pippen and Rodman

When Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, their interview was incredible. It was a reminder to the NBA fans about how joyful and relaxed their lives were outside the court. And as professionals, how they did not take their on-court feuds off the court. And when they did, they always had a smile on their face. It showed the NBA community that the worst of enemies on the court can still be close friends off the court.

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One such friendly exchange about their NBA championship rings involved playing with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. Barkley does not have an NBA championship ring, and Michael Jordan has six of them. Consequently, Michael never lets Barkley forget that fact.

The Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan (23) shows he’s still friends with the Phoenix Suns Charles Barkley as they get set to play game 6 of the NBA Finals in Phoenix, Sunday, June 20, 1993. (AP Photo/John Swart)

At the Oprah interview, Barkley revealed, “If I get the rest of the guys laughing at him, he would always bring up the ‘How many rings you got?‘. He always throws that one at me. I mean I wasn’t lucky enough to play with Scottie Pippen”. While the audience had a good laugh about this statement, Michael may have missed it, so he looked confused. Therefore, Barkley rephrased “If I had Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, I would’ve won something too.”

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Did Charles Barkley hate his teammates?

When Michael Jordan heard Barkley say this, he wondered if Barkley hated his own teammates. However, Barkley then clarified, “I love my teammates, but they weren’t as good as Scottie and Dennis.” Barkley has even to this date accepted that he might not have been the best version of himself with the Suns. However, it was his teammates that elevated his style of play to help him win the MVP award.

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Watch This Story: Five Times Michael Jordan Addressed LeBron James Comparisons

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This is indeed true, none of the players that Barkley played with have an NBA resume close to Pippen or Rodman. When Barkley got to play with Pippen, they were both arguably no longer in their primes. Moreover, they only had a short stint together before Pippen left. Could this trio of Barkley, Pippen, and Rodman in their primes win an NBA championship? Let us know what you think about it.

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Written by:

Chaitanya Dadhwal

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Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Even though his journalism is driven by his desire to understand both sides of an argument and give a neutral perspective, he is biased towards Houston Rockets and Arsenal, and he has shown exactly how loyal he can be through tough times. Currently a Law student at Jindal Global Law School, he aims to have his own sports management firm one day and enjoys rap music during his time off.
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